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A few weeks ago, I covered my most-listened-to songs of the year, and today I’m excited to share my favorite reads of 2023! Let’s get to it!
Fiction Faves
I think this is the shortest fiction list I’ve ever had! I don’t put books on this list unless I would give them five stars out of five, so these were the books that made the cut this year. Most of the books I read this year were just so-so, and I’m hopeful for more five-star reads in 2024!
Only the Beautiful by Susan Meissner. This book was captivating! Susan Meissner pens historical novels like no one else, and I was outraged to learn through this book about the power government held over certain groups of people just a few decades ago – not only overseas, but in America.
A Midnight Dance by Joanna Davidson Politano.A friend recommended this author to me (shoutout to Johanna if you’re reading this!), and I was hooked after reading the first one. This book kept me invested the whole time and I was surprised in a good way at the resolution. I almost want to reread the whole thing and look for the clues I missed along the way!
Loving Our Kids on Purpose: Making a Heart-to-Heart Connection by Danny Silk. I may not be a parent, but I plowed through quite a few parenting books this year to help me in teaching and loving my students well, and this was one of the best. Danny Silk has such insight about the importance of staying connected in our relationships.
Secrets to Destroying Demonic Assignments: The Ultimate Spiritual Warfare and Deliverance Handbook by Joshua T. Giles.Some memorable quotes: “A person’s relationship with God determines their access with me.” “Whenever anyone speaks, it is either a blessing or a curse.” “An idol is anything overtaking you.” “Persecution will arise because of the work of God in your life. This is normal.” “The enemy’s purpose for your life is to experience failure at the point where your success is approaching in order for you not to trust in God.”
Next Wave: Worship in a New Era by Bob Sorge. This was a free Kindle book that I didn’t really expect to be up my alley, assuming it was written for worship leaders. I was surprised to find it relevant and full of insight about both past eras and the current church landscape.
As a classroom teacher and substitute, these were a few of the books my students LOVED this year! It’s often a struggle to find clean, age-appropriate books that students actually enjoy reading, but these fit the bill.
1. and 2. Third Grade Angels and Fourth Grade Rats by Jerry Spinelli. My hard-to-please third graders giggled, bugged their eyes out in disbelief, and related very easily to this series of books about an average boy, his annoying sister, and the girl he has a crush on.
3. Bad Kitty Gets a Phone by Nick Bruel. My students adore the Bad Kitty books. The only one I’ve read so far that I dislike is the Christmas one, which contains a reference to a same-sex “partner” that I don’t find appropriate for children. All the other books are so funny and make every student grin!
6. The Cool Bean by Jory John. A cute book that weaves humor into a lesson about kindness and including others. There are several related books, and though I haven’t gotten to them all, I’ve found each one so far to be a similar mix of entertainment and moral counsel.
Hey! I'm Brianna and I'm a millennial. I'm also a reader, writer, God-lover, introvert, and recovering perfectionist. ☺️
I want to inspire millennials to retain their morality, hope, and faith as they transition into adulthood and full-fledged "adult."
